


practical work experience

by AslansCompass



Series: ....and how to save them [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Not Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-11-15 02:55:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18065243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AslansCompass/pseuds/AslansCompass
Summary: Percy Weasley didn't notice his previous boss was Imperio'd; (although, looking back, there were a few red flags he'd missed.) That certainly isn't the case with his new boss--for one thing, Cliff Jones' plans are so far off the wall that they can't be part of a dark scheme.





	practical work experience

Percy Weasley took a deep breath before opening the door.  "You wanted to see me, Minister?"

"Yes, come on in, Percy. It is Percy, isn't it?" 

"Yes, sir."

"Well, at least I've got that straight. Family the size of mine,  you get plenty of practice remembering names. How's Charlie doing? Dragons recovered from the trip to Hogwarts, I hope."

"The Hungarian Horntail laid an egg. The way Charlie goes on about it; good heavens, you'd think it was a Quidditch trophy."  Of course the minister remembered Charlie. Percy inwardly shook his head. How many summers had his brother spent at Whitecliffs, helping Newt with that menagerie of his? "But I don't think that's why you wanted to see me, Minister--"

"Please, call me Cliff. Or Jones. I never get used to titles. " Cliff settled back behind his desk.  "I have a job for you."

"That's why I'm here. Tea? Memos?"

"The Statute of Secrecy."

"Excuse me?"

"Name three recent events that could have violated the Statue of Secrecy. Just off the top of your head."

"Well, um... the Quidditch World Cup, the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and.... the importation of dragons for the first task?" 

Cliff tilted his head. "Not bad, for an off-the-cuff answer. Technically, the last one is a repeat and the first was over a year ago, but not bad. Now, for the second part."

"Second part?"

"Name current trends that might impact the Ministry."

"Huh?" Percy opened his mouth and quickly closed it again. "Isn't that the same question?"

 "No, not wizarding events. Muggle events.  Muggle news. Find me at least three different events and write a brief summary of how each might impact the ministry. I want it on my desk by the end of the week."

"What--"

That's all for now. Oh, by the way--" Cliff scribbled something on a scrap of paper and folded it into a bird. "This will need to get to Scrimgeour. I had to reschedule our lunch meeting, so animate this for me once you're out of the office."

* * *

 Currency was the first problem. Sure, Mrs. Weasley had done some shopping in Ottery St. Catpole  when the kids were younger, but she'd set up an account so the muggle bills were paid through their Gringotts account.  Goblins took care of all that exchange rate stuff.

When Percy tried to buy a paper using sickles, the seller laughed him off. "I don't take that pre-decimalization crap. Where'd you find that stuff, anyway?"

He ended up contacting a Muggle-born former classmate, who went with him to Gringotts Wednesday afternoon and changed 8 sickles into pounds ("pounds of what? pounds sterling? But it's not silver."). She then took him a few streets down from the ministry and headed into a Tesco's, claiming she needed to pick up some groceries anyway. 

"The periodicals are on racks over there, " she said. "Back in a few."

Percy stared at the shelves. He'd never imagined there could be so many magazines in the world. Sure, his mum read _Witch Weekly_ , and Charlie's shelves were bulging with back issues of _Seeker Weekly,_ but this shop had a full section: _Knitter's World, Sky, Hadrian's Wall, The Economist, Radio Times,_ and roughly a dozen different papers. He was used to just the Prophet and the Quibbler. 

"Made up your mind?" she asked. "Come on, I have to be back at work in twenty minutes."

* * *

_Friday afternoon_

"Hmm," Cliff  set down the last sheet of parchment.  

"Well?" Percy felt like he was waiting for exam results.

"Let's go over these one at a time. Indian rebels continue to hold European hostages. Yes, a wizard could probably apparate to the rescue, but that would require knowledge of the exact location.  I doubt local wizards are any more inclined then British ones to display their powers. Still, at least you're thinking of possible responses."

Percy breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Now, this next one. 'Elves found alive in Las Vegas.' Potentially a very serious breach of the statue. Now, Las Vegas is kind of strange anyway; I doubt most people would give house elves a second look. However," Cliff held up the front page and pointed to the masthead. "It's the _Daily Star_."

"And?"

"Think the Quibbler."

"Oh."

"And it's a misspelling to boot. Judging by the picture, they meant to say that _Elvis_ has been seen in Las Vegas. Which is even less likely, as he died almost twenty years ago. Popular American musician," he clarified. 

"Anyway, the last one. Windows 95 released. You seem to be under the impression that it's a new type of glass so people can write notes on windows, possibly for advertising. It's actually a new computer system."

"Computer?"

Cliff rubbed his forehead. "It's a Muggle invention. It's... oh... a box that can do math. Wendy would kill me for dumbing it down that much, but basically, that's what it is.  They've been around since the '60s or so, but in the past few years, they've gotten faster and smaller.  She expects at least half of homes will have one by the new millennium."

Percy stared at the floor. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I should go pack my things."

"Why?"

"I failed."

"On the contrary, I wasn't expecting you to do this well."

"What?"

Cliff leaned forward. "I wasn't testing your knowledge. I was testing your ability to learn."

Percy was still confused.

"The Quidditch World Cup provided a staggering display of wizarding ineptitude at blending into Muggle society. I saw one elderly gentleman wearing a lady's nightdress,  extension charms on full display, and teenagers flying brooms in broad daylight. Wizards may think they're superior, but Muggles have them outnumbered more than a thousand to one. Technology is catching up. Has been for decades. The Americans put a man on the moon in 1969. That's less than sixty years after the first airplane was built. Meanwhile, what have we got to show for ourselves? The only way to move forward is to combine magic with technology. "

"But that stuff doesn't work at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts, sure. But your mum has a radio, doesn't she?  You've ridden the Hogwarts Express. Technology and magic can work together. Otherwise, we'll be little more than a footnote in history."

"Why do you think so highly of Muggles?"

Cliff paused before stepping into the Floo network. "I am one."


End file.
